Who is the greatest English player ever?
It's a debate that has rolled on for years and through generations, but here's our take on the eternal question.
From world champions to generational talents and modern-day greats, here's our rundown of the best 25 male players to pull on a Three Lions shirt.
The 25 best English players ever: 25. Raheem Sterling
Among the most decorated English players of the 21st century, Raheem Sterling won four Premier League titles with Manchester City – along with the FA Cup and four League Cups.
The versatile former Liverpool forward, now of Chelsea, starred throughout England’s run to the final of Euro 2020, scoring three goals – most notably the opener as Gareth Southgate’s side beat Germany 2-0 in the last 16.
24. Michael Owen
He’s been retired for more than a decade now, but Michael Owen still sits 11th on the all-time list of Premier League top scorers.
After bursting onto the scene with Liverpool, Owen – who went on to play for Real Madrid and Manchester United, among others – announced himself to the international stage with that solo goal against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup – one of 40 he scored for the Three Lions in all (only five players have notched more).
23. John Terry
One of the finest defenders English football has ever seen, John Terry is also the highest-scoring centre-back in Premier League history – finding the net 41 times for Chelsea, more often than not with his head.
The Stamford Bridge legend captained the Blues to five top-flight titles and Champions League glory (somewhat infamously lifting the trophy in full kit despite being suspended for the final) – and briefly wore the armband for England, earning 78 caps overall.
22. Glenn Hoddle
Quite possibly the most gifted English player of his generation, Glenn Hoddle gained iconic status at Tottenham and has been named as the club’s best ever player on numerous occasions.
A magician with the ball at his feet, the midfield maestro was a mainstay of Bobby Robson’s England side during the 80s – when he also reached number 12 in the charts with ‘Diamond Lights’, a duet with teammate Chris Waddle (because why the heck not?!).
21. John Barnes
After making a name for himself at Watford, John Barnes took his wing wizardry to Liverpool and helped the Reds to two league titles, two FA Cups and a League Cup between the 1987/88 and 1994/95 seasons.
Born in Jamaica, Barnes earned 79 England caps – and it was during a 1984 friendly that he produced the most iconic moment of his career (bar the ‘World in Motion’ rap, obviously), gliding through Brazil’s defence at the Maracana to score arguably the Three Lions’ greatest goal (with his weaker right foot, no less).
20. Frank Lampard
During his trophy-laden career at the top level, Frank Lampard redefined what it meant to be a goalscoring midfielder. With 177 goals (two more than Thierry Henry), Chelsea's best ever player ranks sixth on the all-time Premier League list.
Lampard won 106 caps for England, as many as the great Bobby Charlton (only five players have ever earned more) – under a string of managers who never quite cracked the conundrum of how to partner him effectively with his similarly elite contemporary, Steven Gerrard.
19. Billy Wright
The first player to reach the milestone of 100 caps for any country, Billy Wright captained England 90 times (a joint record alongside World Cup-winning skipper Bobby Moore) – wearing the armband at the 1950, 1954 and 1958 World Cups.
At club level, the centre-half spent his entire career with Wolves – where he was captain for all three of the club’s First Division titles and featured in some of the earliest European matches: the famous floodlit friendlies at Molineux.
18. Steven Gerrard
Another true Premier League legend who loved a goal from midfield, Steven Gerrard will forever be synonymous with Liverpool’s 2004/05 Champions League triumph – from that goal against Olympiacos to that night in Istanbul, where his header sparked the Reds' stunning comeback against Milan.
But he’s also the fourth most-capped England player of all time, having turned out for his country 114 times during a 14-year international career which saw him appear at five major tournaments – and serve as captain under Roy Hodgson.
17. Tom Finney
After fighting in the Second World War, Tom Finney established himself one of the finest footballers on the planet during the mid-20th century – spending almost his entire career with hometown club Preston North End and representing England 76 times.
Finney was a selfless forward known for his assists as much as his goals, and his all-round gentlemanly conduct, with Preston teammate Bill Shankly calling him “the greatest player I ever saw, bar none”.
16. Paul Scholes
A member of Manchester United's ‘Class of ‘92’, Paul Scholes’ midfield mastery proved pivotal to the Red Devils' sustained success under Sir Alex Ferguson. The diminutive playmaker made 718 appearances for 13-time Premier League champions, scoring 155 goals and starring in 11 of those title triumphs.
Scholes' England career was relatively short – he retired from international duty seven years before his (first) retirement from the game outright – but he made some notable contributions, such as bagging both goals in the Euro 2000 play-off win over Scotland at Hampden Park.
15. Peter Shilton
See the name Peter Shilton and you probably instantly think of Diego Maradona outjumping him to score his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal for Argentina in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final – but England’s most-capped player (125 caps) was one of the best goalkeepers of his generation.
As well as featuring for the Three Lions at three World Cups and two Euros, Shilton twice lifted the European Cup with Nottingham Forest – and made a whopping 1,005 league appearances for eight clubs overall, finally hanging up his gloves in 1997.
14. Rio Ferdinand
A player ahead of his time, Rio Ferdinand was a continental kind of defender ball-playing ability and athleticism set him apart from other English centre-halves around the turn of the century.
The world's most expensive defender not once but twice, Ferdinand enjoyed a glittering 12 years with Manchester United – who he joined from bitter rivals Leeds in 2002 – and had a short stint as captain of England, winning a total of 81 caps and featuring at two World Cups.
13. Kevin Keegan
A European cup winner and three-time top-flight champion with Liverpool, Kevin Keegan went on to become one of England’s biggest hits abroad after joining Hamburg in 1977 (for his trendsetting perm as well as what he did on the pitch).
But, as incredible a player as he was, the two-time Ballon d’Or winner – who captained his country on 31 occasions – is most synonymous with a certain moment from his managerial career: that 1996 rant in the direction of Sir Alex Ferguson…
12. Ashley Cole
An Arsenal 'Invincible' by the age of 23 and a winner of, well, pretty much every other trophy going at Chelsea, Ashley Cole has a claim to be one of the most complete full-backs in the history of the game.
England's greatest ever left-back combined intelligence and athleticism, attacking forays with defensive solidity, and even once forced Cristiano Ronaldo to ask to be substituted after the Portuguese had a nightmare against him in 2006.
11. Stanley Matthews
“Stanley Matthews taught us the way football should be played,” said Pele; “I couldn’t believe he was just a man. He was the best player in the world,” opined Bobby Charlton. Sounds like he was pretty handy, then...
One of the game’s all-time greats, ‘The Wizard of the Dribble’ – who famously played professionally until he was 50 – won the inaugural Ballon d'Or in 1956, lifted the 1952/53 FA Cup with Blackpool – running the show in the 'Matthews Final' – and represented England at the 190 and 1954 World Cups.
10. Gary Lineker
England’s principle attacking threat in the latter half of the 80s, Gary Lineker has scored more World Cup goals than any other Three Lions player – and he scooped the Golden Boot at the 1986 tournament.
Famously never booked, the long-time Match of the Day anchor’s career took him from boyhood club Leicester City to Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham – with whom he won the FA Cup in 1991 – and Japanese outfit Nagoya Grampus Eight. He finished as First Division top scorer on three occasions and placed second behind Soviet star Igor Belanov for the 1986 Ballon d'Or.
9. Alan Shearer
Unstoppably prolific at his peak, Alan Shearer won three straight Premier League Golden Boots from 1995 to 1997 – firing Blackburn to the title as one half of the famous ‘SAS’ partnership with Chris Sutton in 1994/95.
A legend at Ewood Park and even more so at boyhood club Newcastle – where he spent the last decade of his career, joining for a then world-record £15m in 1996 – he found the net 30 times in 63 games for England, including five to finish as top scorer at Euro 96.
8. David Beckham
For over a decade, David Beckham was the face of the England team – captaining them for six years and making headlines for reasons good (that free-kick against Greece to clinch qualification for the 2002 World Cup) and bad (that red card against Argentina, which precipitated the Three Lions' exit from the 1998 World Cup).
Synonymous with pinpoint crosses and laser-guided set-piece deliveries, Becks turned out almost 400 times for boyhood club Manchester United – where he won the treble in 1998/99 – before spells with Real Madrid, the LA Galaxy, Milan and PSG.
7. Paul Gascoigne
A supremely talented player and an equally brilliant character, Paul Gascoigne was the great entertainer of the England team throughout the 90s – not least when football came home at Euro 96. 'Gazzamania' was a very real phenomenon.
From tears in Turin to that glorious goal against Scotland (followed by one of his various notable celebrations, the ‘dentist’s chair’), his was a career – which at club level saw him turn out for local team Newcastle, Spurs, Lazio, Rangers and more – full of indelible moments. There will never be another player quite like Gazza.
6. Gordon Banks
They said Gordon Banks was as ‘safe as the Banks of England’ – and if you’ve seen his outrageous save from Pele at the 1970 World Cup, you’ll understand why (if, somehow, you haven’t, correct that right away!).
The man between the sticks for England’s finest hour – their 1966 World Cup triumph (what else?) – was named FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year six years in a row between 1966 and 1971, while the IFFHS ranked him as the second-best ‘keeper of the 20th century – behind only the immortal Lev Yashin.
5. Jimmy Greaves
English football will probably never see another striker like Jimmy Greaves; the Spurs and Chelsea legend chalked up a record 357 top-flight goals and finished as First Division top scorer no fewer than six times.
Injury during the group stage meant he lost his place to Geoff Hurst at the 1966 World Cup – not featuring in the final and, rather disgracefully, not even receiving a winners’ medal until a FIFA rule change 2009 – but his scoring record of 44 goals in 57 caps remains one of the most efficient of any Three Lions player.
4. Wayne Rooney
When Wayne Rooney veritably burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old with his now iconic last-minute winner for Everton against Arsenal, it felt as though English football had just been introduced to someone very special indeed.
And so it proved as he went on to become record scorer for Manchester United – bagging some more of the Premier League’s most memorable goals in the process (who could forget his spectacular Manchester-derby winning overhead kick or thumping volley against Newcastle?) – and England, for whom, like United, he wore the captain's armband and broke the all-time goals record.
3. Harry Kane
It might seem excessive to put a player who hasn't retired yet third on the list – but the stats don't lie when it comes to Harry Kane.
England's all-time scorer before the age of 30, surpassing Wayne Rooney in 2023, Kane likely has another couple of major tournaments in him yet and will probably put that goals record out of sight for the next man. Also Spurs' record goalscorer, the now Bayern Munich man is one of just two England players to win the World Cup Golden Boot or captain the Three Lions in a major final, doing the former in 2018 and the latter at Euro 2020.
2. Bobby Moore
England’s inimitable World Cup-winning captain, Bobby Moore was an absolute Rolls-Royce of a player – with his prowess at the back summed up by Pele calling him the greatest defender he ever faced. Praise doesn't come much higher than that in this sport.
The first footballer to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year, the admirably humble Moore's name will forever be etched into the history of the national team and West Ham – with whom he spent the vast majority of his career, captaining them to FA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup success in 1964 and 1965 respectively.
1. Bobby Charlton
“Nobody embodies the values of Manchester United better than Sir Bobby Charlton,” notes the club’s official website about one of the ‘Busby Babes’ – who, having survived the horror of the Munich Air Disaster, became a legend on the domestic, European and international stages. And such sentiment was reiterated upon his death in 2023.
A winner of three First Division titles, the European Cup (as United became the first English team to triumph in the competition in 1968) and – of course – the 1966 World Cup, the incomparable Charlton's name will forever be synonymous with the English game.
